(1) Sera from cases with rheumatic fever, rheumatic heart disease and other diseases were tested with indirect immunofluorescent method. In the active phase of rheumatic fever sera showed positive reactions in 3 of 9 cases; 2 with subsarcolemmal sarcoplasmic and 1 with intermyo-fibrillar pattern. Sera from other diseases also exhibited both kinds of pattern.
(2) Human sera from various diseases were also investigated with indirect immunofluorescent method using rabbit heart tissues instead of human. Sera showed positive reactions with 1) human and rabbit, 2) only human and 3) only rabbit heart tissues. The significance of the reactions was discussed.

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In order to evaluate the pressor response to noradrenaline by using a simple procedure, experiments were carried out on 127 normotensive subjects and 125 patients with essential hypertension. When the blood pressure had reached a constant level, l-noradrenaline (5μg./Kg. of body weight) was injected intramuscularly. The blood pressure was measured every 30 or 60sec. by the auscultatory method until the pressure returned to the base line.
A significant increase of pressor response in the hypertensive patients was demonstrated by the higher and prolonged pressure curve than in the normotensive subjects. While the pressor response in the normotensive was independent on the age, that in the hypertensive was more remarkable in the younger age group. In accordance with this, a positive correlation between the basal pressure and the pressure rise was more significant in the younger subjects. In both normotensives and hypertensives, the subjects whose one or both parents were hypertensive showed significantly greater increase of pressor response than those who had no hypertensive paitents. The patients with progressed retinal change tended to have less pronounced pressor response, irrespective of the age.
It may be concluded from these results that 1) by using a simple method, the increased vascular reactivity to noradrenaline in essential hypertension can be demonstrated statistically despite a considerable overlapping, 2) the structural change in the vessels does not appear to play an important role for the increased reactivity, 3) this hyper-reactivity in which a hereditary factor is participated, is an initiating cause of essential hypertension, and 4) in the late or advanced phase of this disease, the increased response becomes less remarkable.

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Body weight and blood pressure were measured in the normotensive Wistar rats with the systolic blood pressure below 149mm.Hg and spontaneously hypertensive rats by Okamoto and Aoki. Animals, from both groups, were killed at 40-50 days (prehypertensive stage), 4-5 months (after a moderate duration of hypertension), and 12-14 months of ages (after a long duration of hypertension). Endocrine organs were weighed and studied histometrically and histopathologically.
The results in the hypertensive animals were as follows.
(1) Some increases in weight of the pituitary and in the percentage of basophils in the anterior lobe were noted at the prehypertensive stage. These changes were exaggerated as hypertension persisted. The hypertrophy and the change similar to hyaline change were observed in basophils.
(2) In the adrenals, the area of the glomerular zone and the summed area of the fascicular and reticular zones were increased. The hypertrophy and increase in lipid content of the glomerular and fascicular zones were detected even at the prehypertensi.ve stage. With persistence of hypertension these changes became more marked, and increase in weight of adrenals, irregularity of cell cords of the fascicular zone, decrease in width of the reticular zone were demonstrated. The increase in lipid content was remarkable in the glomerular zone and moderate in the fascicular zone but more remarkable in groups which were complicated by periarteritis nodosa or nephrosclerosis.
(3) In the thyroid, the increase in area of follicle cells, follicle and lumen, and irregularity in shape of follicles were found at the prehypertensive stage. As hypertension persisted these changes became more remarkable. Weight of the thyroid increased and the colloid content decreased. The histological changes were compatible with that of struma parenchymatosa macrofollicularis.
(4) In the pancreas and gonads, there was no significant difference between the hypertensive and normotensive groups.
(5) The present study has demonstrated that the pituitary anterior lobe, adrenal cortex and thyroid have significant roles in the development and maintenance of hypertension in the spontaneously hypertensive rats.

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In the spontaneously hypertensive rats obtained by Okamoto and Aoki (the animals develop hypertension within 15 weeks of age in 100percent incidence and increase blood pressure with age), the removal of various endocrine organs and kidneys and the administration of hexamethonium and pentbarbital were performed. Blood pressure and body weight were measured in these animals and the results are as follows.
(1) The removal of anyone of the pituitary, adrenals or thyroid in prehypertensive stage prevents the development of hypertension and the blood pressure persists normotensive.
(2) The removal of anyone of the pituitary, adrenals or thyroid in persistently hypertensive stage lowers the high blood pressure to keep it normotensive.
(3) The administration of methylthiouracil inhibits the development and maintenance of hypertension.
(4) From these results it is presumed that the presence of the pituitary, adrenals and thyroid is necessary for the development and maintenance of hypertension in the spontaneously hypertensive rats. Consequently these three endocrine organs are indispensable organs for hypertension.
(5) Gonadectomy has no effect on the development and maintenance of hypertension.
(6) Unilateral and bilateral nephrectomy accelerate hypertension. It seems that the kidney has no pressor action, but rather works to in-hibit enhancement of hypertension.
(7) The administration of hexamethonium and pentbarbital lowers blood pressure. This fact shows hypertension is related to autonomic nervous control.
(8) In hypertension of less than 35-60 weeks' duration, there is no marked difference in the effect of the removal of endocrine organs and the administration of drugs.

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The results obtained in this series of experiments do not support any evidence of specific, sensitive chemoreceptors existing in the CNS. The results appear to indicate that the effects of vasoactive drugs may be explained on the basis of alteration in blood supply to the vasomotor centers of the brain or alteration in blood pressure upon some type of baroreceptors, although one must take account of some surgical and chemi-cal influences in interpreting those results obtained in this type of experi-ments. The decrease or increase of blood supply to the structures directly associated with controlling activity of the cardiovascular system may give rise to elevation or reduction of systemic blood pressure.
It is very interesting to note that the reflex changes in the systemic circulation is much more pronounced when the drug is applied into the head circulation where the internal carotid and occipital arteries are tem-porarily clamped than where the external carotid artery is clamped. This observation may suggest that the extracranial beds, as a whole, are more sensitive to vasoactive drug than the intracranial beds. When a vaso-constrictor is applied, the extracranial beds may constrict to a higher extent than the intracranial beds, in turn, causing an increase in the blood supply to the intracranial beds. As it were, the vasoconstrictor agent may squeeze the extracranial blood into the intracranial beds. Conversely, a vasodilator substance is likely to withdraw the blood from the intracranial beds, thus causing hypertensive reflex.

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(1) Diagnosis of the disease was undertaken statistically by electro-cardiographic findings with an aid of theorem of Bayes, without referring to other clinical and laboratory data.
(2) The incidence of 40 electrocardiographic findings together with age and sex were investigated in 17 diseases or groups of diseases in which cardiac disturbances play a principal role. From the incidence the probability of diseases was calculated in 25 actual examples by electronic computer.
(3) In cases with myocardial infarction, the computed results coincided with clinical diagnosis with a probability of about 100%.
(4) Hypertension and coronary sclerosis were hardly differentiated by electrocardiographic findings, although most cases were answered more or less correctly.
(5) The probability of a correct answer was not high in valvular diseases. When correct answer was not obtained, however, other kinds of valvular diseases were answered with relatively high probability and hypertension or coronary sclerosis were ruled out almost completely.
(6) Fairly excellent results were obtained in cases with chronic cor pulmonale and neurocirculatory asthenia.
(7) There was a case in which the computed result did not coincide with clinical diagnosis, but with autoptical findings.
(8) Two or three diseases were strongly suspected by calculation in not a few cases which have no characteristic electrocardiographic find-ings. This fact suggests that electrocardiogram contains still undisclosed information.
(9) The stronger hemodynamic influence on the electrocardiogram than considered hitherto was suggested.
(10) It is our impression that statistical diagnosis of electrocardiogram are superior to our diagnostic ability in not a few respects.

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Three cases which developed shock and traumatic pericarditis following the inadvertent puncture of the free wall of the right atrium by the transseptal needle are described. All cases showed atrial injury current which was produced presumably by the puncture of the right atrial free wall in one case and by subepicardial atrial lesions following pericarditis in the other 2 cases.

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A first case was reported of renovascular hypertension associated with panaortitis successfully cured by bypass operation in combination withcontralateral nephrectomy. A brief review revealed high incidence of angitis-produced renovascular hypertension in Japan.

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